NEW YEAR - NEW BEGINNINGS

Our New Year's celebrations for this year will soon be history. As we embark on creating our life during 2011, I'd like to share some thoughts and feelings about New Year's Resolutions.

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? Do you expect to accomplish them? If the truth be known for most of us we really do not expect to achieve them. It seems that we make them almost in jest.

But what if . . . what if we could achieve them? I suggest there are some tried and true approaches to doing just that.

It is often said that if we fail to plan, then we plan to fail. Many of us go through life without goals, without a plan. We just sort of move along with the tide. So a plan is the first important thing to accomplish our goals.

Have a serious planning appointment with yourself. For most people that should be 3-4 hours in length. I think one should have at least the following big categories:

Health, Wealth, Spirituality, Relationships, and Contribution

Then outline what you would like to achieve in each of these categories. BE VERY SPECIFIC.

Under health would be such things as improved nutrition, exercise, etc.

Under wealth would be career and business goals.

Include under spirituality whatever to you would increase your connection to the Divine, or "your source," however that would be in your belief system. I hope you will all include meditation.

The most important relationship you will ever have is with yourself. It is very important that you love and accept yourself. Also include other relationships in your life - family, friends, people in your workplace, etc.

Now go back over your goals and add time-lines. When are you going to accomplish each goal? You may have both long and short-term interim tine-lines.

Contribution or charity, a sense of giving, is very important to a healthy, well-balanced life, giving of time, talents and money. Nothing enriches our lives quite like giving to others. And it certainly is true that we get back what we give.

Now that you have that outline, go back over your lists and add strategies (what) and tactics (how) you are going to achieve each goal. Any skills you may be lacking, plan for how you will obtain them. Perhaps you may need a consultant, like a trainer if your goal is weight loss, or a business consultant for your business goals. Your level of specificity directly relates to your degrees of success.

And lastly you must be accountable to someone. there is much to be said for the so-called "buddy system." That is one of the secrets to success of such programs as Weight Watchers, Share your goals with someone and get their agreement that you will be accountable on an agreed upon timetable. If they decide to join you in mutual goals you have the best of all accountability arrangements.

Our success in attaining our New Year's Resolutions directly relates to our level of commitment, our belief in our ability to accomplish our goals, and the thoroughness of our plan of action.

Good luck with your 2011 plan.

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